The Tell-Tale Horse

CHAPTER 12

The creamy English leather of the high-quality bridles hanging on the wall distracted Sister for a moment. It was noon on Sunday, February 24, and Marion had met Gray and Sister at Horse Country, which remained closed on the Sabbath, so the three of them could go through without being disturbed.

Aga, Marion’s female Scottish terrier, led Raleigh and Rooster upstairs. Aga proved a gracious host, showing them her special ceramic food dish and matching water bowl.

“I had to repair the downstairs lock immediately,” Marion said, leading them to the housing for the security system. She flipped open the heavy plastic box, exposing tiny colored wires and computer chips.

Gray, using the button LED flashlight on Marion’s key chain, directed the thin bright beam into the box. Even though the overhead light shone brightly in the utility room, which housed the water heater, the furnace, and the water filter, he needed more light.

The two women peered behind him.

“All those tiny computer chips.” Sister sighed. “No bigger than half your little fingernail.”

“Airplanes are full of them too. Just think what would happen if one melted?” Marion tilted her head upward toward the colored entanglement in the box.

“How often do you revamp your security system?” Gray asked.

“I haven’t. I mean, I remodeled seven years ago when I acquired the bottom of the building, but I haven’t bought another system.”

“Yes, it was state of the art. This isn’t my field, ladies, but you’d be surprised what you learn when you defend a client in front of the IRS.”

“What do you mean?” Marion wondered, ever curious.

“If a client had been robbed and his records destroyed, our firm—well, my old firm—investigates independently. I’ve stuck my nose in all kinds of security systems. The most troubling are the infrared ones.”

“You mean where little red beams crisscross a room?” Sister knew that much anyway.

“Sounds like a great system. Anything moves and the system calls the satellite, which bounces to the police. However, in a store like this, what if, for whatever reason, an object falls off a shelf and sets off the alarm. You can see the problems.”

“That’s why I chose this system.”

“It was good in its day, but I suspect whoever came into the store knew it depended on your phone lines, ground lines. Cutting them was easy. They all emerge from the building.”

“Didn’t you have a fruit loop—um—about seven years ago?” Sister recalled a somewhat odd employee.

“Well, more lazy than crazy.” Marion frowned. “But he wasn’t a thief.”

“No ugly parting?” Gray glanced from the box to Marion.

“Firing someone is upsetting. He lost his temper, but it all worked out. He just wasn’t meant to be inside. He’s working on a farm west of town.”

“A decent relationship?” Sister didn’t need to elaborate.

“Socially”—Marion searched for the right word—“superficially pleasant, I’d say.”

Gray pressed the button, the beam cut off, and he shut the box, handing Marion her keys. “I assume you’re purchasing a new system?”

“Installed tomorrow to the tune of eighteen thousand dollars.” Marion sighed.

The three of them repaired to her office, where she turned on a light, the store remaining dark lest someone think it was open. “Aga, aren’t you generous.”

Aga, in the office, had allowed Raleigh and Rooster to play with her special nylabone.

Rooster grunted. “Can’t crack this thing.”

“All right, out,” Sister ordered her two. “There isn’t room for all of us.”

Reluctantly, her two dogs left to flop down hard outside the door; the flop indicated canine sulking. Aga picked up her bone and joined them.

“Would you like coffee? A drink perhaps?”

“No, thanks.” Gray was glad to sit down. His legs still ached from yesterday’s riding.

“Me neither.”

Gray leaned forward. “Marion, has the sheriff talked about your security system to you?”

“Only to ask who knows how to disarm it to open the store and how to set it to close it at night.” She paused. “He did say I could put the punch bowl back up, since your sheriff dusted it. I don’t think they have room for anything that big at the station.” She leaned back.

“I’ll bring it in.” Gray started to get up.

“Not now, honey. We can do that in a minute.” Sister leaned forward too. “Marion, is there a customer who knows about your security system?”

“I don’t think so.”

“If they’re in the security or electronic business it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out, especially on a day when you’re really busy,” Gray said.

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Marion frowned.

“Christmas,” Sister suggested.

Marion paused. “That’s a possibility. There are so many people in here from Thanksgiving to Christmas, a customer could easily slip into the furnace room undetected.”

“Or check outside for the wire outlet,” Gray added.

Gray rose. “I’ll get the punch bowl. I won’t set the alarm off, will I?”

“No.” Marion smiled at him, then called out, “Wait, Gray. Let’s put it in my car. I can put it back on the shelf once I’m sure the new security system works. And I have a system at home. I’ll keep the bowl there.”

He returned and leaned against the office door, glad to keep his knees straight for a moment.

“I can’t think of anyone who would want to kill someone, steal a punch bowl, and then leave it in my barn.” Sister folded her hands together. “I’m dizzy from thinking.”

“Goes around faster and faster. We need to slow down.” Marion realized her flashes of insight were coming when they felt like it, not on command. “Let’s trust our instincts. It would seem whoever is behind this wants to mark both of us.”

“Like a fox marks territory?”

“Yes.” Marion, having spent a lifetime with foxhunters, understood the game.

“A beautiful woman from India, and you and me?” Sister shook her head.

“We aren’t dead yet.”